Thursday, 29 August 2013

Various media sources have been giving a lot of attention recently to the role of violence in video games and its effect on the players. The two basic positions are that either the worst of these games have an undesirable and negative effect on the player or that no, the players can separate fantasy from reality and have no problem from playing these games. Perhaps it can be either, depending on the player but it's clear that we should continue to collect the data and document the results.

To understand some of the effects of video
games, you need to go back to debriefings conducted by the U.S. Army after
WWII. Interviewing soldiers returning from battle, researchers discovered a
disturbing fact. A significant number of soldiers had been face to face with an
enemy soldier, rifle in hand, enemy in their sights, gun not jammed, and had not
fired. Something deep in their being, some sort of innate humanity, or values
instilled early on, had prevented them from actually pulling the trigger.

This was very disturbing to the military.
They began a research effort to figure out what to do about this problem. They
discovered that in the heat of battle, under the incredible physical and
psychological stress of being faced with another human being you were supposed
to kill, the higher mental functions were largely absent. Under such
conditions, the mind reverts to much simpler modes of operation, to deeply
wired, almost instinctive behaviors. In other words, no amount of target
practice and classroom lectures about how you're supposed to kill the enemy had
much effect when it counted.

Over the following decades and wars, the
Army learned that the way to get soldiers to reliably pull the trigger was to
use very basic, repetitive operant conditioning, along the lines of standard
behaviorist theory. Behaviorism provides a poor model for how humans act in
everyday life, but it turns out to be a fairly good model for how humans act
when they are under stress and have to act quickly, and are responding
primarily to fear. Under stress, fearful people do what they have been
conditioned to do. That is one
reason we have repetitive fire drills, so that we know how to react in an
urgent situation.

The Army's solution was to replace dry
target practice with realistic training grounds, complete with pop-up targets,
loud noises, smoke, stress, the works. The goal was to condition the soldiers:
if it moves, shoot it now, don't think about it. Repetition, repetition,
repetition: Target pops up, you shoot. Target pops up, you shoot. Do that often
enough, and, research shows, next time you see something pop up, you are more
likely to shoot it, even if it's a real human in a real battle. Sometimes it’s
called “friendly fire” when it is a mistake. This is not just a theory, it is documented by exit
interviews from soldiers in later wars: The Army got what it wanted.

What does this have to do with video
games? The answer should be obvious. The whole point is, if it moves, shoot it.
Again and again and again. The
military uses all kinds of expensive simulators, basically high powered video
games, similar to what kids use every day, to train its recruits and to
overcome the aversion to killing.
And there is evidence to suggest that those who are expert at gaming are
some of the best and most effective fighter pilots and soldiers. In the end, if you believe in war,
maybe video gaming is a good thing for survival! The downside is that, in most cases, the enemy is also
trained in shoot to kill. Is it
that he who presses the right buttons faster wins?

The cost for soldiers who survive, as
witnessed by the increase in post-traumatic stress, is devastating. As many as one-third of the
homeless men in the U.S. are Viet Nam veterans, most of them suffering from
PTSD and we are only beginning to count the cost from the years of human
destruction in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

What can we learn from this? Whether or not violent video games
cause aggressive behavior may not be the real issue. Perhaps the real question that needs to be explored is
whether video gaming might contribute to an acceptance of the need to destroy
the “enemy” without any need to feel anger or anything that can be consciously
identified as aggressive behavior.
After all, it’s just a game.

Here is a sample:

“Hunched with his troops in a
dusty, wind-swept courtyard, the squad leader signals the soldiers to line up
against a wall. Clasping automatic weapons, they inch single-file toward a
sandy road lined with swaying palm trees.

The squad leader orders a point
man to peer around the corner, his quick glance revealing several foes lying in
wait behind a smoldering car. A few hand signals, a quick flash of gunfire, and
it's over. The enemy is defeated,
but no blood is spilled, no bullet casings spent: All the action is in an Xbox-based
training simulator for the military, called Full Spectrum Warrior.” (Associated Press 10/03)

Finally, here is something which should
also concern all of us. When many
people see a real video, shot live, they think that because it’s seen on a
screen, that it’s not real when it is.
It’s just like a video game or worse, a television program with a script
and actors and made up in a studio or on a set somewhere like a movie. If you want to test that out on
yourself, take a look at some of the current, live, very real,military videos and register
your own cognitive and emotional response. This is somewhat the flip side of the video gaming issue and
equally important because it is very real and not a game.

Not every child or adult playing video games will
develop aggressive behaviors and only a small percentage will become soldiers
who are trained to do what soldiers must do. The point is that both children and adults can be easily
influenced by the media and high powered, well- conceived video games. What the short and long term results
are will continue to be debated but there is compelling evidence to suggest we
better take a hard look at what is happening as a result of violent video
gaming.

Sunday, 25 August 2013

I started this blog two years ago and without any prescribed schedule, I wrote something when the spirit moved me. In honor of the one-hundredth blog, I reviewed some of the earlier ones and this is an excerpt from the second one that I wrote, September 3, 2011.

I believe the “spirit” of the outstanding leaders I have known can be seen, heard and felt in at least the following ten ways.These are not in any order of priority.

1 - Enthusiastic and energetic
- There are many different ways of expressing one’s spirit of
enthusiasm, whether overtly or more quietly, but we most often
characterize this contagious quality as passion, thus strong feelings
that are shared.

2.Positive and optimistic
- While best balanced with a heavy dose of realism, the expression of
hope in the present and for the future is a quality of spirit that any
good leader is well-advised to have in his or her repertoire of
attitudes.

3.Caring and compassionate
- A spirit of genuine concern for others and their well-being goes a
long way toward helping a community to develop an ethos of mutual
support and collegiality.

4.Inquiring and curious
- The leader who asks thoughtful questions and demonstrates the spirit
of an inquiring mind helps to further the conversations to a deeper
level of understanding.

5.Conscientious and intentional – Designing change requires a spirit that is transparent so that others may see how seriousness of purpose pervades the leader.

6. Pleasant, friendly and joyful- As one friend and colleague puts it, “be kind, tell the truth and say thank you.”Good
manners, social grace and comfort in a crowd contribute significantly
to the perception of one who is “at home” easily and genuinely.

7.Confident and courageous
– Unafraid to make hard decisions, even unpopular at times, the leader
is able to take a stand, express convictions and move forward, even in
the face of opposition.It helps to take others along on this often perilous journey.

8.Humble and modest – Without any need to be boastful, arrogant or prideful, the leader allows his or her deeds to speak for themselves.Such a spirit speaks volumes without having to say a word.

9. Creative and open - The leader exhibits a mind that seeks and welcomes new ideas. This is the mind that works like the proverbial parachute, best when open.However it is not change for the sake of something new.

10.Fair and firm -These qualities speak of a balanced response, an attitude that knows how to assess and when to draw the line.This works with both individuals and groups and the leader’s spirit sets the stage, the tone and the process.

Many
of these qualities of spirit overlap and are part of a larger dimension
of one’s personality, having to do with attitudes and behaviors, as
defined earlier. It's E.Q. trumping I.Q. one more time. The point of all of this is
that being aware of how these play in the environment in which one
works can really make a big difference in the outcomes of so much that
you want to accomplish and these make it easier to get a lot done
without caring who gets the credit.Most importantly, these are qualities for good mental and physical well-being.

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Why do we say that you are going “back” to school?We know generally that it means
returning, often to something familiar, going “back” somewhere and that is
certainly one of the meanings when using the word “back” as an adverb.However, it also implies a past
condition or situation and although we might hope for a new condition, we would
probably not say that you are going “forward” to school.This set me to wondering how what we
say influences attitudes and perceptions as in, “here we go again, same old,
same old, very predictable and often not very exciting or engaging.”

There may be some comfort in returning to the familiar where
you know theenvironment, the
players and the program.You know
the expectations, you know the rules and you know how to navigate through the
system relatively successfully.Even in a different location, schools look and smell fairly much the
same.The teachers and students
may have different names but they act very much the same as those in the other
place.

An alternative,
an easy shift, would be to say that you are going to “start” school rather than
you are going “back.”At least,
there is the hope of a fresh beginning and not merely a re-tread of last
year.As I have seen and talked
with children in the past couple of weeks, I consciously asked when they were
starting school rather than when were they going back to school.I know it’s a very small thing, and
maybe it makes no difference at all, but it made a difference to me as I asked
them what they were looking forward to as they thought about starting
school.Kids tend to tell
you the truth and if you go as far as asking them what they might like to
change about school, they can tell you that too!

Here is one such conversation:

Me:When do you
start school?

She:Tomorrow!

Me:You sound
excited to start a new grade.

She:Yeah, I
am.

Me:Let’s see,
you must be about third grade?

She:No,
fourth.

Me:So,
you’re 9 years old?

She:Yes.

Me:What are
you looking forward to as you start school?

She:Seeing my
friends and being in a new room.

Me:Do you know
your new teacher?

She:She’s the
same one I had last year, she’s moving up with us.

Me:Is
that good?

She:Yes, I
really like her and she has lots of fun things for us to do.

Me:So going to
school and learning can be fun?

She:Oh, yes,
and there is so much to do, lots of different things.

Me:Is there
anything you would change about your school?

She:Yes, I
would have it be longer.

Me:You mean
you would like to go to school more days or longer days?

She:Uh, I
think more days.

Me:Well, you
are a very lucky girl and it sounds like you will have a good year, at least I
hope so.

She:Bye, I
have to go now.

Just a couple of minutes of a conversation while we were
sitting in an airport and this girl was the oldest of three children, mom and
dad holding the other two, babies, in their arms with a large stroller in
tow.I watched the interaction
between parents and children – loving, adoring, calm, focused, and all three
kids reflected an early air of confidence and security.My hunch is that this 4th
grade girl is going to have a great year, that she is a happily engaged student
and if I were her teacher, I would certainly love to have her (and her parents)
among my class.We would have a
great start to a new year.

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

I had the opportunity recently to spend several days in
Wyoming at Brush Creek Ranch where fly fishing is a major activity along with
numerous other western sports such as archery, sporting clays and targets,
horseback riding and a lot of social interaction around food and drink.Needless to say perhaps but those days
of delight were filled with being engaged in lots of activity.And the company of a couple of special
family members made it even more meaningful and enjoyable.

However, during the trip to and from the ranch, I decided to
take a different approach and in addition to escaping the interstates and
expressways, I chose instead to travel some of William Least Heat Moon’s
highways.And, I did not
intentionally take a GPS although I had a couple of good, old-fashioned maps
which allowed me to see the bigger picture and make some on the spot choices
about a different route here and there, or from here to there, and there to
here.Here is northern New Mexico
and there is southeastern Wyoming, just over Snowy Range in Medicine Bow
National Forest.The lesson here
is seeing the big picture and making conscious choices.

In addition to less than the fastest route, how quickly we
can get somewhere or how fast we can get the job done, even with a high level
of efficiency, I also chose to drive under the speed limit by at least 5-10
miles per hour.This was not to
annoy other drivers although at times, I know it did.What it did for me was not only to gain better fuel consumption
but to allow me to relax and enjoy the scenery so much more, even being able to
stop if I saw something of particular interest.Driving at or above the speed limit, which is my usual
practice, carries an element of stress which was eliminated completely.The goal was not the arrival at the end
of the journey but rather being more immersed in the journey itself and not see
it simply as a means to the end.

Besides spectacular scenery in New Mexico, Colorado and
Wyoming, I saw many more details that would have otherwise passed by in a
blur.Those details included
wildlife, architecture, small town cultures, local cuisine, and one of my
favored pastimes of flea markets and antique shops. There was also the usual
music, NPR and chatter on the radio, if I wanted it, and often that was silent
to avoid any distraction.

This was a nourishing road trip, soul food if you will, and
I look forward to the next one whenever and wherever it will be. Lots of
lessons learned!

About Me

Writer, traveler, hiker, fisherman, enjoying these later years, migrate south in winter along with birds and butterflies to Mexico, looking ahead to the next adventure, project and sending good wishes to friends, family and colleagues.